Pictures can capture a moment in time, a moment many of us remember and some many of us never saw.
So, we decided to share some of those moments in time through 'Picture Perfect' where we will bring to life historical Steelers photos.
Throughout the remainder of the offseason, Steelers.com will be featuring photos that tell the story of the Steelers through the years.
In today's feature, we highlight three of the best Steelers wide receivers.
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This picture isn't about a game, rather about the three men who appear in the photo.
When you think of legendary Steelers receivers, no doubt these three names come to mind.
Lynn Swann, Hines Ward and John Stallworth.
Two Hall of Famers in Swann and Stallworth, and one in Ward who should be in there right alongside them.
The three players were on hand at Heinz Field as part of the celebration of the team's 80th season, Ward part of it along with his duties with NBC's Sunday Night Football as the Steelers were hosting the Baltimore Ravens in 2012.
They are players who are forever connected through wearing black and gold and as members of the Steelers Hall of Honor. Swann and Stallworth are four-time Super Bowl Champions in the 1970s and Ward a two-time Super Bowl Champion as part of the Super Bowl XL and XLIII teams.
Swann was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001, after waiting 14 years for his time to come. But it was worth the wait.
"Waiting is always tough," said Swann recalling his induction day. "Football players are accustomed to being hands on. For a player to have to wait and there is nothing you can do, it's like sitting on the bench and your team is out there playing. It's the Super Bowl and you are not on the field. You want to hoist the trophy and there is nothing you can do. It's excruciating for an athlete to be on that sideline.
"The 14 years of being on that list, being on the finalist list, making erased it all. It was like the first day I was eligible, you go in. You are thrilled to join the Steelers who are in the Hall of Fame. You are thrilled and excited about that kind of recognition.
"It's almost post-Super Bowl excitement. It's something you don't earn overnight. It's something that takes time to get in, takes a high degree of consistency to get in. Even though it's an individual honor, it's a team that puts you in there. Without the whole team no individual has a chance to showcase their individual talent to make that happen."
Swann, the first-round draft pick in the legendary 1974 Steelers draft class, had plenty of opportunities to show his individual talent. Known for his graceful moves and leaping catches, Swann always came through on the big stage.
Swann, who suffered a concussion in the 1975 AFC Championship Game, was a question mark for Super Bowl X. But Swann was ready to go come game day, and then some.
He had four receptions for 161 yards and a 64-yard touchdown. But you have to see the highlight reel to truly appreciate the greatness of what he did, as the receptions are legendary footage for NFL Films courtesy of his circus catch and leaping ability. He went on to win MVP honors for his performance.
"My big catches that day are what people remember," said Swann. "But coming back from my concussion, my biggest catch occurred on the first pass that Terry threw to me. I went up for a high, graceful reception that gave me the confidence I needed to make the other catches later on."
Swann finished his career with 336 receptions for 5,462 yards and 51 touchdowns, and a highlight reel that would make any receiver envious.
"I'd like to say that we developed Lynn Swann," said late Hall of Fame Coach Chuck Noll. "But the truth is he was perfectly developed as a football player the first time he stepped on our practice field."
Swann was named Associated Press All-Pro and selected to the Pro Bowl in 1975, 1977 and 1978, and was named to the NFL's All-Decade Team of the 1970s and the Super Bowl Silver Anniversary Team.
Swann, who was part of the final class to be inducted on the actual steps of the Hall of Fame, will never forget that special day.
"I could not be here without the overwhelming support of Dan Rooney and Chuck Noll," said Swann during his enshrinement speech. "I know that last year when Dan Rooney stood here at this podium as proud as he was to be following in his father's footsteps, who also stood here and accepted the award of being inducted into the Hall of Fame. I am happy that he is sitting behind me, to share in this day, to know that I fully appreciate all that he has done.
"And to Chuck Noll, for his unwavering support in saying that I belong here on the steps of Canton, and giving me the opportunity to play this football game.
"The virtuous part of having this patience also means that the day I was elected to the Hall of Fame couldn't have been a better day because it would have been the 100th anniversary of the birth of Art Rooney, Sr., the founder of this football team."
A year after Swann was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Stallworth rightfully got his day in the sun as a member of the Class of 2002.
The previous year Swann spoke about how Stallworth was deserving to be there along with him.
"He and I battled day in and day out," Swann said of Stallworth during his enshrinement speech. "We competed for that limited number of passes that we knew that we were going to throw every game on Sunday. And we wanted it desperately. I could not be standing here if it were not for that competitive spirit that I learned from John Stallworth, for his trust and his faith in me as a wide receiver.
"This is, this is the single greatest honor in my life. And, if this is the greatest hour of my life, then I would tell you at this moment, this is only a half-hour. It'll be the greatest hour when I can stand and sit in that back row and John Stallworth is wearing a Gold Jacket making this speech."
Swann was there the following year when Stallworth completed the hour.
"John probably was a little more physical than Lynn, who was a little more athletic and had the ability to run very well after the catch by making people miss," said Noll. "John would break tackles, then run well after the catch. Both complemented one another. Both helped the running game because in order to have the running game go, to make people respect your running game so you can throw the football, they had to block. They blocked downfield, both of them, very well."
Stallworth, the Steelers fourth-round selection in the historic Steelers 1974 NFL Draft class, caught 537 passes for 8,723 yards and 63 touchdowns, all Steelers team records at the time of his retirement. He also scored one rushing touchdown.
He played in six AFC Championship games and was a part of the Steelers four Super Bowl Championships and was named team MVP twice. Stallworth was named Associated Press All-Pro in 1979, All-AFC in 1979 and 1984 and played in four Pro Bowls. He had 12 postseason touchdown catches and 17-consecutive postseason games with a reception.
During his Hall of Fame enshrinement speech, Stallworth talked about his first impression of Pittsburgh when he arrived in 1974, and how that changed after the Steelers won Super Bowl IX.
"I've learned that first impressions are not always correct," said Stallworth. "My first day in Pittsburgh was a mid-winter night right after the draft. It was cold, the trees were barren, it was snowing, and I didn't bring a big coat from Alabama. I don't think I owned a big coat.
"And I was going to a team that didn't seem to be terribly thrilled about throwing the football, the kiss of death for a receiver. My first impression of that situation was this is not a good thing.
"Eight months later, I arrived at the airport and caravanned into Pittsburgh after our first Super Bowl win. It was cold. The trees were equally as barren. It was snowing. As a matter of fact, it had been snowing for several days.
"But the difference was there were the people. They were lining the highway from the airport all the way to the city, easily a 20-minute drive. You would have thought it was mid-summer.
"And I came away from that experience with a deep appreciation of the people of Western Pennsylvania."
Ward knows what it's like to wait for his shot at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Because he is still waiting. And his time should come.
Ward was a semifinalist for the ninth straight year for the Class of 2025, but the wait continues.
He played 14 seasons for the Steelers, after being selected in the third round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He recorded 1,000 career receptions for 12,083 yards and 85 touchdowns.
His versatility was always on display, with his blocking ability a shining example of that.
"He was huge for me," said Hall of Fame running back Jerome Bettis. "What people don't understand is the significance of a receiver blocking because normally it's a downfield block. That is great. That extends the play from a 5-or 10-yard play to a 20- or 30-yard play, which is significant. But the rare wide receiver has the ability to impact the line of scrimmage, and that's what he was able to do.
"He was able to impact the line of scrimmage. That's what Hines Ward was able to do. He was able to block at the point of contact, which you never see happen as a wide receiver. He would be my lead blocker at times and that is rare for a wide receiver.
"He was tough as nails. He would take on linebackers, big safeties. It didn't matter. If Hines was locked up on him, they got everything from Hines and then some.
"For Hines, it was about his toughness as a receiver. He had the ability to do all things. Most receivers either run inside routes, slants and hitches. Then you have guys that run vertical routes and stretch the field. Hines could do both. His hands were really good. He was physical enough to play in the middle of the field where the linebackers were and the safeties were hitting you, and most receivers didn't want to be. He flourished there. But he also had the ability to catch those deep balls, those 50-50 balls, that most receivers can't catch. He was the best of both worlds because of his ability to get open on all types of routes."
Ward was the MVP of Super Bowl XL after leading the Steelers to a 21-10 victory over the Seattle Seahawks. In three Super Bowls, Ward registered 14 receptions for 244 yards and two touchdowns.
The Steelers' 2008 Walter Payton Man of the Year, Ward was named to four Pro Bowls (2002-05) and was a member of the team's 75th Season All-Time Team. Ward was selected by his teammates as the Steelers MVP three times in his career, including 2002 along with Joey Porter, 2003, and 2005 with Casey Hampton.
When he retired in 2012, he did so with a mix of tears and his signature smile.
"When I think about football, I think about Steeler Nation and the fans," said Ward. "For all the fans for years that camped out in the parking lots on game days, in the freezing rain and snow. For all the fans that traveled all over the world, nationwide and across the country to cheer us on. The ones wearing my jersey in Denver, New York and Baltimore, and every city I've ever played in. It is truly amazing.
"Without their support over the past 14 years, this game wouldn't mean the same to me. It wouldn't be as fun for me. You guys meant the world to me. This city and this organization mean the world to me."
He played with heart and emotion, with intelligence and fierceness, and with a love for the game that showed through the ever-present smile on his face.
"All-in-all, I can say I am a Steeler for life," said Ward. "That's the bottom line. That's all I've really ever wanted. The black and gold runs deep in me."
And soon, another form of gold should come Ward's way, as there is nobody more deserving than a Hall of Fame Gold Jacket.
